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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29379570">Fellowship of the Felons</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/krumulent/pseuds/krumulent'>krumulent</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Rigel Black Chronicles - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A Bit Self-Indulgent, AU, F/M, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Friendship/Love, Inspired by The Rigel Black Chronicles, TFF14 Spoilers, i just need more caelum, is this what they call an, it's just a mess really, murkybluematter, no beta we die like Caerry, please</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:48:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,302</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29379570</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/krumulent/pseuds/krumulent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the alleys, an unlikely trio forms with the increase in auror and death eater presence.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caelum Lestrange/Harriet Potter | Rigel Black</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>93</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! This is my first official fic.  It starts near the end of TFF14. Please tell me what you think!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Prologue</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>“Teaching you was a mistake.”</em>
</p><p>He jerked away from her, stepping further into the shop. Something grabbed hold of his insides and twisted. This wasn’t going according to plan. Why was the brat acting like this <em>now</em>? Unwilling to ponder the unwelcome, painful feeling much longer, Caelum turned from the baskets in an aborted gesture and wrapped his hand around her wrist.</p><p>He couldn’t afford wasting his time lurking around Tate’s every day after this. He had already wasted too much time. He had to talk to her. Scrunching his brows, he strengthened his hold. Plan B, it was.</p><p>“You don’t mean that,” his soft voice sounded all wrong. Like he was young and foolish again, looking for <em>something </em>from a mother who would never give it. Ironic, really, because that was what led his life to this very moment, if he thought about it. Barely keeping his customary sneer in place, he shifted his hold even as his fingers burned from the barely-restrained magic under the girl’s skin.</p><p>Harry stepped closer, pulling on the arm he held until their faces were mere inches away, and said, “I do. Now let go of me.”</p><p>In their current position, his back blocked Tate’s view. He could not have planned it better.</p><p>He dropped his expression and adopted another close to but not quite the perfectly blank one he had earlier when he denied brewing that wretched potion. His hand slipped down.</p><p>The girl’s unnatural green eyes widened by a fraction. They rose and searched his face, and for the first time in months, he felt <em>seen</em> by their intensity, just for a second. Then his senses detected her magic expand beyond her arms to less than a meter away from her body, enclosing them in a privacy ward.</p><p>“For the sake of what I thought was our friendship, I’m giving you the chance to tell me why I need to listen to a bigot like you a second longer.” Her jaw clenched ever so slightly as she whispered the words.</p><p>“Not now. Not <em>here</em>, Potter.” He flicked his eyes to the window where he had last seen the other boy and the auror tailing her to the back where Tate was, as she palmed the vial he had pushed against her fist. “Pour it on parchment. Drop the ward, quickly,” he said quietly.</p><p>The magic returned to its source immediately. The brat always did have abnormally perfect control.</p><p>“You should be careful when speaking to your betters.” His mouth twisted into its familiar sneer while his heart was wrought with a familiar discomfort. His words echoed their past conversations, for all that nothing was the same. He had been a fool to provoke her, as if they had not changed at all. “You might end up offending someone less magnanimous next time, and you won’t even need another scandal to be a felon on paper.”</p><p>She snatched her hand away from him, green eyes flickering with emotions he hardly ever saw when they bantered. Hurt. Confusion. But beyond that, they still shone with comprehension.</p><p>Message finally received, then. Stubborn chit.</p><p>The bell chimed as a middle-aged woman entered, and Harriet Potter was out of the door.</p><p>Caelum turned back to the shelves. He had brewing to do, and he fully intended on maximizing his funding while he had it. He was sick of seeing Tate, too. Though, looking at the shopkeeper’s carefully blank expression, he appreciated the man’s discretion as the auror entered and asked him about his conversation with Potter.</p><p>Sneer on his beautiful face, he spouted hateful pureblood drivel and used the backstabbing knife that was his last name as a shield from inquiry.</p><p>The auror backed off. Finally. <em>He had brewing to do</em>.</p><p>Leaving the shop, he ignored the gaze of the Aldermaster’s son and the girl sobbing in his arms. A quick spell as he lifted his hood later, and he made his way to his apartment in anonymity.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If the auror looks familiar, that's probably because I referenced meek-bookworm's "problem in plainclothes" :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Mother</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 1: Mother</strong>
</p><p>It was ten in the evening. Lily had gone to sleep as soon as Addy was tucked in. James was spending another night in his office, chasing leads all over the continent for a person who did not exist. Harry exhaled in her bedroom. Her magic flexed.</p><p>Privacy ward in place, she picked up the small vial Caelum had given to her in the morning. It had the same consistency as her base for shape-imbuing, but the bright red was unfamiliar. A new potion. She almost felt proud of her former student, but knowing what his experimentation led to left a bitter aftertaste she could not ignore. Did she trust him?</p><p>
  <em>Ready when you are, kid. Though I’m sure your magic has already screened that. </em>
</p><p><em>Thanks, Dom</em>. She trusted the construct in her head.<em> I just needed backup. Can’t have us falling to this after everything, right? </em></p><p>Dom hummed.</p><p>Hand over parchment, she poured.</p><p>The parchment absorbed the potion. It floated up, crinkling and turning red as a Howler. The edges folded in, and a set of paper teeth faced her. It <em>was</em> a Howler.</p><p><em>“Brat,” </em>Caelum spoke in a haughty tone, at a volume that was unexpectedly normal. <em>“I hope you had the sense to put up a privacy ward. You are </em>not <em>going to hassle me with more of your insanity, so I expect none of this will reach your family of fools. Not even your accomplices, that dratted Black or the halfblood who stole his name.”</em></p><p><em>Ha! If only he knew! </em>Dom said.</p><p>Harry quickly sent him an impression of a finger to the lips.</p><p><em>All right. Listen to the pretty potioneer, not poor old Dominion Jewel with only one crazy girl for conversation. </em>Dominion’s presence receded to the back of her mind, grumbling. <em>You dragged me out of the pyramid, and you won’t even listen to my lovely commentary…</em></p><p>Harry rolled her eyes and focused on the letter. It was shaking side to side, like Caelum had shook his head in disbelief for a moment.</p><p>“<em>As much as it pains me to say this, I need your help. And your friend Hurst needs mine.”</em></p>
<hr/><p>“Back from the apothecary so soon, Lestrange?”</p><p>Caelum ignored the fool seated in his living room, making for the door to his potions laboratory. He had more important things to attend to than to indulge in the idiot’s need for conversation.</p><p>“Hey! Don’t ignore me. Would you like a scorpion sting to your hands, pretty boy?”</p><p>In a flash, Caelum held the boy against the wall with a spell. Cold rage tempered the fear from the threat.</p><p>“Unlike some people, I have work to do. Isn’t that right, <em>bodyguard</em>? Though, after the tournament, I think we both know <em>I’m</em> the glorified babysitter of a failure—my potions were beyond expectations. <em>You </em>failed to attack that fool. Know your place, <em>boy.</em>”</p><p>Jordan struggled under the pressure of being slowly compressed. Beads of sweat appeared on his face, but the arrogant anger did not disappear. It only grew stronger. Had it weakened just a bit, Caelum might have gone easy on him; Jordan’s failures had worked in his favor, after all.</p><p>“When you let your guard down—” Jordan choked out as the pressure increased. “—I’ll make you regret this!”</p><p>Caelum leisurely held his wand aloft, thinking of past lessons at Durmstrang that would make this nuisance back off. He remembered an older boy, purple light, and a week of moving while keeping his injuries secret, too prideful for the infirmary. He had learned an advanced potion to deal with the pain, then. Many of his first lessons at that school were like that.</p><p>Thankfully, his education was not a total waste, as a particularly dark spell came to mind. Perfect.</p><p>“Pray tell me how you intend to do that—”</p><p>“You’ll have the honor of trying out what I have for that impostor, Black, and Potter first!” Jordan snarled.</p><p>“—when you’ll be too busy stuck in your own head?” Caelum’s eyes flashed as he heard the girl’s name leave the boy’s lips. His hand waved into the elaborate pattern of the spell. “<em>Cogitare—</em>”</p><p>The door to his basement lab slammed open. Caelum’s wand shifted to the left, incomplete spell splashing against the wall as his attention was diverted to keeping it in his hand against the force of a Disarming Spell.</p><p>“I leave my son alone for a few months, and he takes up dueling?”</p><p><em>Mother</em>. Caelum swiftly turned towards the voice, barely keeping the beginning of another spell behind pursed lips.</p><p>“He finally grows a backbone, too. Would you like a better sparring partner, <em>Caelum</em>?” His mother’s voice grew as sickeningly sweet as a poison berry. Her fingers were wrapped loosely around her wand.</p><p>“Mother.” Caelum says this time, as he dropped his stance, arms falling to the side. Jordan remained pressed against the wall, but only just; he was too distracted to increase the pressure anymore. “I was merely reminding this simpleton of his place.”</p><p>“Shame. I thought you finally had the sense to be useful beyond potions.” Bellatrix sighed, then showed her teeth with a hungry sort of smile. “I would have trained you to the bone, son.”</p><p>A growl to the side brought their attention to a near-feral Jordan. Disgust on her face, Bellatrix cancelled his spell with a wave of walnut wood. Jordan fell to the floor.</p><p>“You’re to return to base. Our Lord has a task for you. <em>Don’t</em> fail him again,” she said to the slumped figure on the floor. “Now!”</p><p>With a final sneer in Caelum’s direction, Jordan left the apartment as quick as the wobble in his step would allow.</p><p>Keeping his hands steady, Caelum holstered his wand. His mother lowered hers after a long look at his hands dropping to the side.</p><p>“A little birdie told me you saw the Potter chit in Diagon today. Such interesting things, my birdie had to say,” Bellatrix stepped closer with a wild grin on her face. Even with their height difference making her tilt her head back slightly at this distance, Caelum felt small.</p><p>He carefully unfroze. “I merely told her a piece of my mind.”</p><p>“Is that so? It seems you were so passionate about our cause, Caelum. How unexpected. I had thought potions was your only passion.”</p><p>Caelum remained on guard. The silence added weight to the atmosphere.</p><p>“Hm, let’s see.” Bellatrix pulled out a scrap of parchment from within her cloak. She started reading with a pout on her lips. “’<em>…you may have everyone fooled…I don’t believe…you didn’t know that impostor…bet you loved watching him…you might end up offending someone less magnanimous next</em> <em>—’ </em>is this concern in your words, my dear?”</p><p>“Perhaps we’re hearing different things. That doesn’t sound like concern at all, mother. I was merely incensed by her presence and blatant disregard for our blood.” Even he knew he sounded particularly soulless then.</p><p>“Oh, but I <em>know</em> you, Caelum.” Her sickeningly sweet smile returned with a vengeance. She was close enough now to hit him with another curse straight to the chest. “I know my only son. Your passion only knows how to translate itself into anger.”</p><p>She was projecting, Caelum knew. Anger knew no place in the delicate balance needed in potions. His passion revealed itself in the steady hand he stirred cauldrons with, the grunts he made when he got a complicated step right.</p><p>Sure, he had a quick tongue when it came to insults, but that was only disinterested disgust, not passion, or Merlin forbid, concern. Although, he was willing to admit to himself—he <em>had </em>been a bit mad about her disregard, but what was with this direction his mother was implying? <em>Concern?</em> Caelum knew she was crazy, but this was concerning. </p><p>“Then I fail to see where—”</p><p>“You rage when the things you care about don’t go your way, <em>boy</em>. That pent-up frustration, festering inside you. You wanted a caring mother, a doting father”—Bellatrix’s mouth twisted into a grotesque smirk—"but you’re too much of a <em>failure</em> to deserve either. So, you let that rage escape through insults and false armor. You must really care about the Potter bitch to not keep a lid on it like that earlier.”</p><p>Caelum schooled his expression.</p><p>“Don’t make me sick, mother.”</p><p>Her tinkling laughter mocked him. “Of course, my dear. You do that by yourself with the company you keep.”</p><p>Caelum squinted at her. The danger that was very present in her words aside, she was in a good mood. “What was the real reason you came here?”</p><p>“It’s a good thing your skills are so useful now.” Bellatrix’s voice had a warning edge to them now. “The Dark Lord wanted to know your progress in the Potentialis and battle potions. We need to know how effective they are for the scale of our attack.”</p><p>Face back to pleasantly calm neutrality with potions on his mind, Caelum led her back inside the laboratory. “Tell him I still lack one ingredient for the Potentialis. It’s been out of stock at Tate’s and the other apothecaries, but I’ve been checking nearly every day. As for the battle potions, I can give you a sample.”</p><p>Without warning, Bellatrix placed her hand near his elbow. They looked like mother and son on a pleasant stroll. He raised his eyebrows minutely.</p><p>“<em>Tut.</em> You must remember some manners. It won’t do if you mess up when it’s your time to meet our Lord again in his new form. You will not disappoint me then.”</p><p>Caelum was sure she felt the spasm of his arm at her words. She was…<em>not disregarding him</em>. Not really. Not anymore. She didn’t view him as much of a failure as before, no matter her words only a minute ago.</p><p>He ignored the tightness of his chest at the revelation.</p><p>“As for the battle potions, we’ll be testing them here. Perhaps even brush up on what you remember from your dueling lessons while we’re at it.”</p><p>He ignored the sudden clamminess of his hands with all the grace of a pureblood heir.  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In my heart, Caelumspeak is anger that translates care into the ready-to-use language of prejudice. In my head, I will still fervently deny all evidence to the contrary. </p><p>Please tell me what you think! Thank you.</p><p>(Special thanks to SackMan, Spoit and ssokolow for answering my question on harry get some sleep!)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 2: Meeting</strong>
</p><p>“Thanks for setting this up, Leo.”</p><p>“No worries, lass. Just used my natural charm on the lady at the desk”—he gave her a roguish grin at that—"got some of Master Whitaker’s favorite parchment, copied his penmanship, and made sure to schedule this when he’s having tea with my parents.”</p><p>“Then I’ll add fake appointments to the list of things I’ll have to look out for,” Harry said as she sat on a stool to the side of the door, hidden from anyone taking a cursory glance into the room.</p><p>Leo chose the spot behind the door.</p><p>“Well, it’s not like you’ll be accepting invites from just anyone in the first place, right?”</p><p>Right. It was unlikely for her to meet with any of the people she knew as Rigel, and besides, it would be too dangerous since they were still on the hunt for him. No matter how she missed them, she didn’t regret the ruse. The loss was simply the cost of their act. She couldn’t help feeling lonely thinking of the number of people she <em>could </em>trust, though.</p><p>“Right.” Leo’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. He looked a bit sheepish. “Sorry. Shouldn’t have—”</p><p>“It’s fine. And you’ve got a point. If Snape sent me a letter to meet him, I’d come even if it was probably Riddle behind the door.” She definitely remembered the same happening at Hogwarts. Luckily, it seemed both her teacher—though he wasn’t her teacher anymore, and he never really <em>was</em>—and the politician hadn’t decided to hunt down the <em>other</em> children involved with the ruse.</p><p>“That’s probably unwise. Make sure he schedules it at the guild, and I’ll help monitor who comes inside.”</p><p>Not for the first time, Harry felt odd that someone else knew her biggest secret and was actively helping her out. It had only been Archie for the longest time—but that wasn’t really fair. Leo had always looked out for her, even without all the pieces of the puzzle.</p><p>“Would your parents be okay with that, though? They’re only letting you out for two hours this time. Not that I’m complaining; it’s more time with you, at least. How <em>did </em>you manage to convince them?”</p><p>“I might have gone on a brewing frenzy just to finish all of the ingredients I stockpiled last time and told them I needed more time to shop. The pantry was under threat.”</p><p>Leo chuckled. “Well, next time you use your ways, you can spend some actual time in the alleys. Come <em>home.</em> We’ll keep you safe; we protect our own.”</p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind.” She wouldn’t take the risk of endangering the alleys any more than she already had, if she had anything to do about it. She appreciated the offer, though.</p><p>“Really, lass. You should take a break. It helps keep you in top form, at least. I’d know.”</p><p>“Well, I haven’t really been doing much at home. But thank you. I’ll take you up on it before the summer ends.”  Harry remembered all too well being told that she had helped the Rogue with her visits. She didn’t want to burden him more, but a friendly visit to the Dancing Phoenix <em>did</em> sound tempting.</p><p>“I’ll hold you to that. Hopefully, we won’t need to deal with your little prince after this.”</p><p>“He’s <em>not</em> my little anything,” Harry frowned, remembering their last encounter at Tate’s.</p><p>Caelum had been a peer, a friend who was just as obsessed with Potions. Had his hate always been that strong? Or did she simply lose tolerance? It had been easier before the ruse collapsed to not let talk of blood affect her, but blood politics had been the beginning and end of it all. She was sick of it.</p><p>He had always been rude, but his verbal jabs had had more emotion than the usual irritation he had for the non-Potions world. Quick to anger when she met him, he had simmered down to customary grumbling. Did the ruse reveal what he really felt about her, then?</p><p>The ghost of his fingers on her wrist stayed her thoughts. She had been stressed at that moment, different from the girl he wrote to, but he had also changed. That he spoke so plainly when she was willing to turn away was alarming. Her project of Making Caelum Lestrange a Decent Human Being might have had an irreversible setback, but she felt concern all the same.</p><p>She had too few friends who had known her as Harry.  </p><p>“I think we should listen to what he’ll say. He mentioned you, specifically, and said he needed help.”</p><p>Leo looked skeptical at the last part.</p><p>“Healer’s Oath?” Harry offered.</p><p><em>More like foolish saving-people thing I thought you had left behind as Rigel, </em>Dom said helpfully. He had volunteered to be on standby when she went out of the house. Harry would have felt comforted by his presence if she didn’t feel that Dom was watching while seated on his throne, handfed popcorn by the golems in her mindscape, delighted by the live-action drama after their weeks at home. There were only so many memories to review, after all.</p><p>Leo snorted. “You’re too good, lass.”</p><p>Silence descended on the two as the time neared the appointment.</p><p>They didn’t have to wait long. Caelum had always been punctual.</p>
<hr/><p>As soon as the pureblood heir crossed the threshold, Leo snapped the door closed with a ward. The other boy flinched, wand slipping down to his hand after a second’s hesitation as he tried to spin around, but Leo was quicker. Two quick spells later, and Lestrange was disarmed with his limbs locked to the sides.</p><p>Icy blue orbs quivered with anger until they took in the girl calmly sitting to the side.</p><p>“Is this how you hooligans set meetings? When I said I needed to speak with you, I didn’t expect you to bring your personal thug, Potter.”</p><p>Despite the light tousling of his hair and frozen position, Caelum Lestrange looked as composed as any pureblood heir. Leo could respect his ability to seem like he had just decided to stand very stiffly when most untrained wizards would keel over with that spell.</p><p>His magic told him to look closer.</p><p>“Well, you mentioned Leo in your message. And you can’t just expect to ambush me the next time I manage to get out of the house, right? Would you have sent another Howler potion?”</p><p>Something about Lestrange felt very frazzled. It made his magic act up like it had when he met Harry, but in a different way. Not quite opposite, like it did with Scar, just <em>different</em>.</p><p>“It was brilliant, wasn’t it?” The raven-haired boy smiled a beautiful kind of smile. Leo determinedly did not look at Harry’s reaction to the pretty pureblood. “It’s just one of the many innovations I’ve made with your technique.”</p><p>Potions. Right. There were two of them, and Leo was all too willing to rain on the parade of this one.</p><p>“So, you just happened to have that potion brewed and ready in a pocket? On the off chance you would meet Harry? Did you wait every day, hoping to catch her?”</p><p>Lestrange near-spluttered.</p><p>“That would have been stupid, but I guess I should have expected that from you, Hurst. A potion like that would have been too dangerous to imbue ahead of time.”</p><p>“Hmm, so you agree? You’ve been waiting every day trying to catch Harry Potter in the alleys?”</p><p>Lestrange actually spluttered this time. “Well, if you listened to my message—”</p><p>Leo took careful note of how the other boy was quick to respond with his mouth but made no effort to escape the jinx so far.</p><p>“The message you’ve been meaning to give Harry all this time? Not the insults you hurled at her in the shop? Interesting.”</p><p>Was that a twinge of guilt at his last sentence? Before he could test him further—</p><p>“Wait.” Harry stepped closer to Lestrange. “What do you mean, imbue ahead of time?”</p><p>“You’ll have to call your rabid dog off first.”</p><p>Harry sighed.</p><p>At her glance, Leo removed the jinx but kept the boy’s wand.</p><p>Lestrange didn’t even seem to remember it as he headed straight for a counter with aplomb, as if he hadn’t been frozen stiff just a second before. He dug a hand into his pocket. Leo kept alert, and was relieved to see Harry do the same.</p><p>Clinking followed his hand as it lifted from his trousers. A set of vials found their way to the counter, each with what Leo believed was the same potion, but he couldn’t identify what it was.</p><p>“The base potion?”</p><p>Harry picked one vial up, coming uncaringly close to the pureblood. So much for caution in the face of potions, right? Leo took one vial to examine, too, as a reason to come nearer.</p><p>“It has no spell,” Harry said in wonder, “but it feels like…”</p><p>With a zing, the vial turned red.</p><p>Leo raised an eyebrow. “Howler spell?”</p><p>“Hair-color changing spell,” Harry said before turning on Lestrange with a glint in her eye. “Delayed shaped-imbuing—did you—”</p><p>“Yes—”</p><p>“—and then instead of the—”</p><p>“—what else did you expect of my brilliance—?”</p><p>Leo let the Potions talk wash over him as he noted Lestrange’s hand twitching minutely. The other two seemed to be communicating partially on a different plane as they omitted words and ingredients like the recursive fic author had no idea what they were saying, too.</p><p>“You’re injured,” he said bluntly to the heir. “Your hands are shaking.”</p><p>An icy blue gaze snapped towards him.</p><p>“Is this the help you meant in your message, Caelum?” Harry interjected with concern.</p><p>“You could have easily found a Healer at St. Mungo’s. Why Harry? I’m sure you know she hasn’t been training to be a Healer at AIM these past four years.” Leo couldn’t help the suspicion that arose. His magic was on high alert, but that didn’t seem to be the message it was trying to tell him.</p><p>“We could take you to the Clinic. Is that why you mentioned Leo?”</p><p>The pureblood’s jaw clenched as they took turns asking him questions. Harry stopped sheepishly.</p><p>“Are both of you done?” Lestrange took one vial from the counter, and it zinged into a powder blue. He downed it quickly. His light tremors stopped.</p><p>“The shaking isn’t what I need help with. I can handle that by myself just fine, brat.”</p><p>Harry’s skeptical look told Leo exactly what he should think of that, but he wasn’t too concerned about the pureblood yet. If he would somehow find a way to hurt her, though, then that would be a different story.  </p><p>“Don’t get too happy with the thought of me dying yet, <em>Rogue</em>.”</p><p>Harry started. Leo was unsurprised.</p><p>“Scar,” Harry realized after a second. “How much did he tell you?”</p><p>“Had fun buddying up with terrorists, Lestrange?”</p><p>“Like you two haven’t broken the law in your own ways. Willingly, at that.”</p><p>“What, just because you claim we’re all felons, we’re supposed to trust you? Admitting to being one yourself just does the opposite, bud.”</p><p>“Stop fighting, you two. What do you mean <em>willingly</em>? Did they <em>coerce</em> you to make the potions?”</p><p>Lestrange let out a breath.</p><p>In all the times Leo had seen the younger boy at the few Ministry events he had attended, he had seen a regular prideful pureblood. A bit more openly aggressive compared to the others perhaps, but that was probably the product of his separation from his peers at Hogwarts. Not like this. He looked like someone who had planted sweet Moondew but dug up Mandrake.</p><p>“They didn’t.”</p><p>Harry flinched, looking betrayed. Leo wanted to pick her up and leave the pureblood prince behind, but he knew he needed to listen to what he had to stay next.</p><p>“I sold the Liberespirare. You of all people should understand why I did.” He shot her a disgruntled look. “It wasn’t for them, but the sale advertised my skills. The fact that I was the only brewer on the continent who knew your stupid half-blood technique didn’t hurt, either.”</p><p>Lestrange let out a gusty exhale.</p><p>“At first, I treated it like a good theoretical and practical exercise. Like when I suggested brewing Coquere Cerebrum at Dartmoor.”</p><p>Leo shot Harry a look, eyebrows raised, but pulled his focus back to Lestrange. Even with the ruse reveal, he didn’t know everything. Harry might need protecting now more than ever, but he wasn’t going to make the mistake of judging her for actions she did or didn’t take. Plus, she was her own person.</p><p>“I had the thought—finally, I had the resources to do groundbreaking research. The recipe I made was practically perfect, Potter. Imagine creating a fully-functioning body from a potion!” he paused, and his tone softened with regret. “Tied with the ritual, it would have given him the body and magic to conquer Britain. If the impostor’s blood had been used in the ritual, he would have been a match for Riddle, and with the plans they had for more attacks, wizarding society would tear itself apart.”</p><p>“Then, why did you make it?!” Harry looked furious, her eyes tearing up with emotion. Leo remembered the terror of the final task, and the chill of realizing it had been Harry all this time facing danger down with only magic, sheer will, and a false name. He wanted to end this meeting and hide her away even more, but he knew she still wanted to listen, and it was his duty as King to listen to as willing an informant Lestrange seemed to be.</p><p>“I thought you would understand best.” Lestrange at least looked ashamed to admit it.</p><p>“I—Rigel could have very well lost his magic. People would have died, Caelum. You just said it would lead to the collapse of our world. You might have been born and bred a bigot, but that doesn’t excuse your actions at all! What will it take for you to realize you can’t just excuse it as being purely theoretical!” Harry’s words seemed to cut into the heir.</p><p>“It was, and then it <em>wasn’t</em>, alright? I wanted to stop, but then I <em>met</em> him, you brat. When he was still possessing that undead leech. He didn’t have much strength, but he knew a spell…”</p><p>Lestrange sagged. Harry almost reached out, but stopped herself before she could. Instead, she crossed her arms.</p><p>“From the way you speak, he didn’t <em>Imperio </em>you.”</p><p>“There are worse curses.” He clutched at his chest, almost doubling over.</p><p>Now that he was this close and was paying attention, Leo felt his magic twinge in what could only be sympathy. Before he could stop her, Harry had her wand out, sending diagnostic spell one after the other at the other boy. Her frown deepened.</p><p>“What did he do to you?”</p><p>“Give me my wand.” A resolute gaze found its way to Leo behind a curtain of dark hair. “I can show you.”</p><p>Leo didn’t trust the Lestrange boy one bit, but a glance from Harry told him he was going to give him a chance. A pointed glance of his own told her neither of them would let their guard down. Hawthorn returned to owner, he waited for the other to make a move.</p><p>A swish of the wand later, all three stared down at the vial-turned wooden chess piece.</p><p>“…you’re showing us a bishop, why?” Harry asked nonplussed.</p><p>“Look closely, brat.”</p><p>A flick later, and it was un-transfigured.</p><p>“Your magic is Light?”</p><p>Harry still looked confused, but Leo felt a deep discomfort echoed by his magic.</p><p>“Again,” he commanded.</p><p>The vial seamlessly transformed into a bishop. Another wave. The bishop seemed to implode back into a vial. Another swish. The vial exploded into a bishop. Flick. The bishop turned into a vial from the bottom-up in a transition as smooth as the last two were violent.</p><p>“What’s happening with your magic?”</p><p>Lestrange jumped and glared at Harry. Her green eyes seemed eerily bright in mid-afternoon.</p><p>“What did you just do?”</p><p>“I tried to send some magic out to your core to establish a connection.”</p><p>“And you didn’t ask permission? Honestly, I knew you were uncultured, but you surprise me every time.”</p><p>“What’s wrong with your magic, Caelum?”</p><p>“You’re just like a dog with a bone, aren’t you? Must’ve been how you created new potions, a dose of delirium and all that time in the slums—”</p><p>“Just tell us what’s wrong, or we won’t help you.” Leo stopped him before he could go on another senseless spiel again. Lestrange truly did not know how to interact with his peers, but he deemed him safe for now. The boy really did need help.</p><p>“It’s affecting my core.”</p><p>At his sharp intake of breath, Leo barely heard Harry ask, “So, your magic’s expressing itself differently?”</p><p>“It’s much worse than just reorganizing his magic, Harry,” Leo stopped her before the other boy could blow up. He remembered a story, long ago, from the alleys. It had told of a curse, too. “His magic isn’t tamed, so to speak, in the same way yours is. It might very well just up and leave him in the future. Think of it like a curse that inflicts the Fade, but on adults.”</p><p>“I—” Harry was taken aback.</p><p>Even Lestrange seemed like the strength had gone out of him. His words must have confirmed his suspicions.</p><p> Leo’s memories flashed back to the ritual that had almost taken the girl’s magic in one fell swoop. This curse was more insidious, destroying the system that maintained a wizard’s capacity to do magic. It weakened wizards as time went by, or…</p><p>“Was there a condition to the curse?”</p><p>“To make potions for him.”</p><p>“Just that?”</p><p>“The bastard gave me a quota I can manage, but the effect’s been a bit unpredictable. Shaped-imbuing has helped with control, though.” Caelum threw an almost grateful glance to Harry, who remained silent in shock. “I haven’t seen Voldemort since the ritual failed. The only good thing that impostor did was whatever that was at the end of the task. He hasn’t been able to add new commands.”</p><p>“Wait a second. How do you know this, Leo?” Harry looked wide-eyed between the two of them.</p><p>“There was a tale of one of the old Kings cursed like this. It was one of her enemies, looking to grab power indirectly. But before he could give her an order, he was killed. She died a few years after that, at what was supposed to be her prime. It was one of the times a King’s reign didn’t end with a loss in combat. The curse sounded just like the Fade. Thankfully, it seemed no one knew what it was, exactly. At least, until now.”</p><p>Harry looked deep in thought, like she was debating with herself. “Why do you think I can help with this?”</p><p>Even without knowing the answer herself, Leo saw the determination in her emerald eyes. He knew she would do everything she could to help the other boy. A heart of gold, that lass. He also knew he would be there to help her this time.</p><p>“Hermione, Archie, and I haven’t published any of our findings about the Fade, and there’s still a long way to go to cure it.”</p><p>“You’re working on a <em>cure </em>for the Fade? With <em>those </em>two?” Lestrange shook his head. He sat down on the nearest stool, seemingly drained by the meeting. “Next thing you’ll say, oh, Rigel was actually a girl”—Leo saw Harry flinch imperceptibly, at least to Lestrange, who kept going— “and that it was actually that muggleborn Granger. And that <em>you</em> took <em>her</em> place in the tournament.”</p><p>Harry opened and closed her mouth soundlessly, but Lestrange was not done. Leo almost felt amused.</p><p>“Though, of course, that wouldn’t explain how she didn’t make it to the end. You’re better than that muggleborn, I’m sure. If you <em>had</em> been in the tournament, then you probably would have …”</p><p>Before either of them could do more than sweatdrop at the turn his thoughts took, Lestrange abandoned that train of thought and continued naturally with, “I’m asking because I need to talk with your mother, of course.”</p><p>“…my mother?” Harry seemed just as lost as Leo felt. The other boy was full of surprises today, and it was only their first proper meeting. Curse he was determined to find a solution for aside, he wished once more that Harry didn’t have such questionable taste in friends, not unlike his thoughts the first time he had heard of her having lunch with him. Managing the alleys was less stressful.</p><p>“Her work with the Dark Defense Disk is groundbreaking, yes, but her research into the nature of magical cores is unparalleled, at least outside of the Department of Mysteries. That’s what my godfather told me, at least. I’ve been following her work for…” Lestrange trailed off at their expressions.</p><p>Harry seemed stuck in clueless confusion. Leo felt a grin trying to escape at the sneaking suspicion that came from his words.</p><p>“You don’t know your mother’s own work?” Lestrange sounded incredulous.</p><p>“…I thought she mostly did Charms research,” Harry sounded guilty.</p><p>“Well, this <em>was</em> in her early days at that company she works for, but how can you not know of this? It raised some questions in Society a few years back until the issue finally died down.”</p><p>“…I was busy with potions? Plus, this must have happened when you were a kid and I was a babe. I’ve never heard of that issue before.” Harry still seemed a bit displaced by the knowledge that Caelum Lestrange knew more about her mother than her.</p><p>“You certainly sound well-informed about Lady Potter, Lestrange. Of all the revelations today, you being her fan was the least I expected,” Leo couldn’t help but rib him. The splutters that followed dispelled the cloud of guilt that almost wrapped itself around Harry. “Plus, if I remember correctly, her findings struck another nail off the foundation of your blood politics.”</p><p>With a sneer, Lestrange pointedly ignored his words and said, “Of course I study the most notable developments in the other fields. I’m not stupid enough to think I don’t have anything to learn from the other disciplines.”</p><p>Leo had the curious sense that he was going to be stuck with two people who lied as naturally as breathing for the near future.</p><p>“So, you think Lily can help you?”</p><p>“You call Lady Potter Lily?”</p><p> Lestrange was definitely a fan.</p><p>“I’ll speak with her about it soon, and get back to you through Leo. Technically, I’m still grounded, so meeting anytime will be hard. Are you sure you don’t want to include Hermione in this? She’s a brilliant Healer.”</p><p>“And let a mudblood know such a weakness?”</p><p>“In case you forgot, Lily is also a <em>mudblood</em>, and she has quite a temper.”</p><p>Lestrange flinched. He imagined the boy was struck silent at the thought of Lily Potter’s anger directed at him. If Leo was going to have to deal with the boy’s tongue for an indefinite amount of time, he was looking forward to teasing him about this mercilessly. It seemed guaranteed to shut him up.</p><p>“In your letter, you mentioned Leo needed <em>your </em>help.” Count on Harry to remember their goals after this farce of a meeting.</p><p>With a shake of his head, the raven-haired boy pointed towards the vials.</p><p>“They’re planning on using shaped-imbued potions in a simultaneous attack on the alleys and the ministry.”</p><p>Leo felt his good mood evaporate.</p><p>“When?”</p><p>“Before the end of the summer.”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I made the mistake of making the characters too OOC at the start. Now, it seems their OOCness is infecting my writing. Switching from the too-serious approach I initially had, I had way too much fun messing with them this chapter, even when it felt like I was being held hostage by unwilling actors until I finally cranked out my longest chapter yet. </p><p>I'm half-afraid of what y'all will think, but please comment anyway! I treasure each and every word you say.</p>
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